ASOS to stop selling silk, feathers and cashmere

In the past few years ASOS has been applauded for several socially conscious decisions such as launching its Eco Edit section online in 2010, which showcases sustainable fashion brands, and more recently their unairbrushed swimwear campaign. Their next step is to completely ban all products from their site that contain mohair, silk, cashmere and feathers.

The fashion industry has been under a lot of scrutiny in the past few years with several popular documentaries on fast fashion and lots of sustainable fashion blogs popping up around the web. Thankfully more and more fashion brands are becoming more aware of these trends and public opinion. Now, ASOS is joining over 140 international retailers, such as M&S and Topshop, in banning the use of mohair in all its product. The ban follows an exposé by PETA of the mohair industry.

This is a HUGE step forward for @ASOS — and companies like @LEVIS need to follow suit! https://t.co/89uZ88LVMd

— PETA (@peta) June 21, 2018

“PETA applauds ASOS for leading the charge for compassion in fashion,” Yvonne Taylor, director of corporate projects at PETA stated, “consumers are changing the face of the industry by demanding that designers and retailers ditch animal-derived materials in favour of cruelty-free alternatives that look great without causing suffering.”

In a comment to The Independent a spokesperson for ASOS stated that it’s aligning the animal welfare policy for third party products with those of its own brands. ASOS is currently moving old stock by discounting products containing the banned animal products; by the end of January 2019 the ban will come into effect.

Sally Wijers